The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-22
Special Contributors.
JESUS AND THE DEATH CUP.
BY Rev. JAS. EASTWOOD.
livingston, N. H.

The practice prevailed, to some ex-
tent, at least, in the ancient world, of
making those condemned to death drink
cup of poison. Thus Socrates, the
Athenian sage, moralist and reformer,
unjustly charged with atheism and cor
ruption, was sentenced to drink cup
of the deadly hemlock. With this prac-
tice in view, perhaps, Jesus says to the
sons of Zebedee, "Are ye able to drink
of the cup, (of suffering and death),
that shall drink OFF" and again in the
Garden, "If this (death) cup may not
pass from me except 1 drink it, thy will
be DONE"
The learned author of the Hebrews
declares that Jesus tasted, drank the
death cup for every man. How much
is involved in this statement He
tasted the death cup for every man who
lived before his time, since his time and
for the millions who may follow US.
Count the snow-flakes in the white
sheet that now covers our hills and val
leys, the leaves, which, in their season,
hang upon the trees of the forests, the
stars of the night, or the sands Of the
sea-shore, and know for how many
Christ died. "a multitude which no
man can number" 81, if be lifted
up. Idle on the cross, will draw all men
unto me. "Tfe gave nffnseff, dfBu a
ransom for ALL" HE died for all that
they who live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him who
died for them" He died for all sorts
and conditions of men, the monarch on
his throne, the peasant in his cottage,
the millionaire, the poverty stricken,
the philosopher, the fool, the moralist,
the murderer, the righteous, the wicked,
the saint, the sinner. 1 am not aware
that the founder Of any other religion
ever claimed to effect so much through
his death, or his followers for him.
The Buddha is worshiped by third
of the worlds population, but no en-
phasis was ever laid upon his death.
A hundred millions follow Mohammed,
but he died peacefully in his bed, and
that death was never magniied by the
Moslem.
We cannot think of Christ's death as
having any special merit apart from his
life, from what he said and did, apart
from his spirit and character. If the
death of Christ was an august event, it
was so because he was an august per-
sonage, and had led grand, divine
life. 1t was the elimination of ma
iestic career. By his blood he sealed
the covenant of grace, and gave added
significance and force to his every word
and work.
The Scripture writers assign vast
value to the death of Jesus. 1t resulted
in his exaltation. For it, he was ''crown-
ed with glory and honor" for Obedi-
ence to it God ''gave him name above
every name."
To his death is attributed our re-
demption "Ye were not redeemed by
corruptible things, as silver and gold,
from your vain manner of life, handed
down from your fathers, but by the
precious blood of Christ )" our recon-
ciliation: "When we were enemies we
were reconciIed to God by the death of
his Son: !" the destruction Of sin: For
asmuch as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, he also likewise himself
took part of the same, that through
death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, the DEVIL" that is,
sin. whose sting is death. With this
accords, "Once in the endof the world
lage) hath he appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice, death, of himself"
Will these effects inure to the benefit
of every man? Will the death Of Jesus
issue in the redemption of every man
in his reconciliation to God, in the de-
struction of sin in him ? Calvinism
SAYS No, Christ tasted death only fol-
every elected man, for those whom Goo
had appointed to be heirs of glory be
fore the world was. He died not fol-
those whom God had foredoomed to an
endless hell. His precious blood, il
saws, was not wasted for such, has NJ
efficacy for such.
Arminianism says that Jesus did no
taste of death for all, in the sense tha
every one will be benefited by it. Po
tentially he died for all, but actual!